Hikaru no Hanabi
by Tsuchikororin
Summary: Lower Branch Hyuuga Clan members are sealed with the Caged Bird. Hizashi & Neji were sealed...and now Hanabi, when Hinata proves herself well as a good clan leader. But when Hanabi is about to be sealed, Hinata gets in the way and all havoc breaks loose.
1. Seal of the Crying Bird

Hikaru no Hanabi

1. Goukyuu Suru Torii no Mejirushi: Seal of the Crying Bird

As an inquisitive child, Hanabi often pondered of the Hyuga life. From her early ages, she always knew: only one heir to the Main Family was allowed.

But…that would mean she and her older sister would have to fight for their father's approval. The stronger would be dubbed leader of the Hyuga Clan at his retirement. The weaker…branded as a caged bird, forever protector to those above them.

Since the beginning of her shinobi and gentle-fist style training, Hanabi knew that whenever her older sister Hinata and she would spar, Hinata would go easy on her.

-

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_Why, sister?_

_-_

_-_

Hanabi, age 12 and now an excelling chuunin. Hinata was a strong 19-year old jounin.

Hiashi, their father was still at the peak of deciding who was to be branded. No matter how strong and strict their father seemed, there was an inner struggle inside, for he loved his daughters. But he hid those feelings. Two years passed before he made his decision.

-

-

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"Hyuga Hinata. Come forth my daughter." Hiashi stood behind his dark wooden desk in his office at the Hyuga Compound. His face was shadowed; unreadable. Hinata stepped forward silently. "Otousan," she replied.

"I wish to name you head of this clan. I'm proud of you, Hinata. Finally, after those wasted, weak years of your young age, you have proven yourself to me."

Her voice, emotionless. "I'm honored Otousan."

Seeing a break-through, Hinata hurried on, hysteria almost edging her voice.

"But—what of Hanabi!? She must not be branded—I'll do anything Otousan! Just please…don't cage my sister."

Hiashi's face hardened.

"If you, yourself wish to be branded, then say no more. The Main Branch MUST be continued! And you will obey my wishes as long as I am head of the Hyuga Clan. It is my wishes that are fulfilled my child, not yours."

He hesitated, and his face softened as he gently took Hinata's shoulder and pushed her face up to meet his.

"I'm sorry my daughter, but that's how the clan's been ruled. Stronger honored, weaker? Left behind. That's how it is. Now go."

Softly sobbing, Hinata left the office.

-

-

-

Early dawn, next day.

Hanabi's POV

I hear banging on the door. _What now?_ I inwardly groan. I shuffle from my tatami mat and pull back the rice paper door. And widen my eyes in shock.

Armed, are four of the Lower Branch members. Lowly fools, they are. Otousan surely does not expect me to live among these pitiful Byakugan users. What do they want from me, early this morning?

Normal POV

A soldier roughly grabs Hanabi's shoulder.

"Come softly and without a fight girl and we won't harm you."

Hanabi slaps away the offending arm. "Touch me again fool, and DIE!" she screams.

Two others, women with pearly lilac and pupil less eyes identical to hers nervously step forward. "Come along dear, please!"

An angered Hanabi does not come without a fight.

"BYAKUGAN!" Holding two fingers up, she performs the seal and her veins ripple with chakra. She quickly does a roundhouse kick and the two women fall crying for help. While they are on the ground Hanabi quickly lunges and jabs her fingers at them in a flurry of vital points.

Paralyzed, they stare up at her from the ground in fear. Hanabi swiftly finishes the rest, when more Lower Branch members heard the cries and run down the hall…her Otousan at the lead.

"Hanabi. Come my child."

"Otousan, the—this _scum_ around me assaulted me in my bedroom. Punish them Otousan, they need to know their place!!!"

"And you, yours." He answered coldly.

_Otousan, what has happened to you?! When you glare at me so, why do I feel something ominous coming? Please…don't hate me Otousan!!!_

_To be continued…_

Hey guys!!! It's my first fic, so please take it easy on me!!! D


	2. Seal of a Coming Danger

Hikaru no Hanabi

2. Mejirushi no Moyori Kigai : Seal of a Coming Danger

Hiashi calmly held out his hand.

Uneasily, Hanabi stepped forward at took it. With an emotionless face, he swung her into the waiting arms of his guards. Quickly realizing what happened after a moment of confusion, Hanabi started struggling.

"Let me go!" she screeched. "Do you know who I am?!"

Hiashi's face, remaining passive, said, "Hyuga Hanabi. You will be branded tonight. Await your sentence with silence and do not dare to disobey me."

Hanabi's body went limp as she silently and futilely struggled and wept.

_Father…_

_-_

_-_

_Father! FATHER!!! _

_-_

_-_

_Why have you done this to me, Otousan?_

Hanabi leaned against the grimy wall of the basement. She glared down at the icy cold, gleaming iron cuffs on her hand. Chakra strings invisibly tied the cuffs to the walls.

With a strong effort, she pulled her breath in and forced chakra to the surface of her skin.

_Break, _she thought while struggling. _Break, you darn cuffs! _

After hours of doing this, Hanabi's chakra was soon drained. The cuffs seemed to laugh at her mockingly as she leered at them.

She had totally lost track of time, wondering when she would be branded.

Before she lost consciousness through exhaustion, her last thought was…

_Hinata. She laughing at me. Leering at me. After all these years…after all our emotional struggles…she finally won out. She beat me. It's…all over. _

Hanabi was pulled back into reality when she heard the shouting of voices and the grating of the basement's iron door.

Wearily pulling her head up from the cold, damp floor, Hanabi hopefully thought, _Am I to be saved? Please oh please…_

Her hopes were pathetically crushed. She saw that the people at the door were not saviors, but her captors.

A Hyuga clan man walked up to her, kneeled down, and whispering a few seals, uncuffed her. The cuffs clattered to a floor and Hanabi's bruised wrists numbly fell. The man caught her wrist and roughly pulled her up.

When Hanabi's sad eyes caught his face, she drew in a gasp.

_Neji._

A small grimace was on his face. "You're turn to be sealed, _Hanabi-sama._"

She winced at the slow enunciation of her _former _title.

Numbly, she followed the men outside until she reached her Otousan's office. The room was dimly lit with candles, but it seemed swathed in shadows. It looked as if nothing could penetrate the hovering tension and fright in the air.

Hiashi awaited at his desk. When she was gently lowered on the cushion in front of him, he silently stepped forward and pulled her chin up until she met his eyes.

Through his eyes, he saw a pale, trembling face with a soft chin and pretty nose, soft cheeks but not to fat. And the infamous Hyuga clan eyes, he and the clan's eyes. Strong, and filled with chakra. But within the eyes, there was anger at the betrayal, pain at his coldness, and a sad and reluctant defiance.

As Hiashi reached over to her forehead, where she proudly put her hitai-ate when she graduated the Ninja Academy, he felt her body tense, ready to fight with tooth and nail.

His hand faltered, and then reached up again to trace the skillfully engraved Konoha symbol on the steel. A lump seemed to block his throat, but he habitually pushed it down.

"I am proud of Hanabi, you know that." He sadly whispered.

Tears welling in her eyes, Hanabi slowly nodded. But she pushed the silly tears away. Hyuga women didn't have the right to cry.

"The Lower Branch must to continue my dear. That's the Hyuga clan way. We have to rule with strength, not with lenience. If there were no Lower Branch, the clan would be the way we are. We are proud, Hanabi. And we must remain strong in our reputation as ninjas. Think of this as an honor, as a duty to fulfill in the clan. Think about it."

Hanabi dully nodded again.

Hiashi slowly untied the cloth at the back of her neck and lowered her hitai-ate off her forehead.

He drew glowing green chakra to his two fingers in the seal of the roaring dragon, then to the stalking tiger, then to the caged phoenix. These three seals in the order first showed pride, strength, and then captivity.

With the burning seal chakra on his fingers, he slowly drew his hand to Hanabi's forehead to trace the symbol on.

-

She closed her eyes.

-

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A soft breeze blew over her face.

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And heard two cries: one of astonishment, and one of pain.

-

Hanabi quickly opened her eyes in panic and swiftly felt her forehead. No burning pain, no lingering trace of strong chakra. She lifted her head up and gazed at the shadow that fell on her face and slowly took in the scene with surprise and unexpectedly, sadness.

Two things happened in quick succession:

Hinata jumped in front of Hanabi with her arms spread out.

Hiashi had sealed Hinata instead.

_To be continued…_

Hey guys!!! Second chapter out, and I hope you all like it!!!


	3. Seal of Shattering Pain

Hanabi saw Hinata visibly wince. Being sealed obviously wasn't a "2-second shot, all done, here's your lollipop" thing.

Hinata staggered backwards and fell to her knees from the pain. On the chest of her moss green jounin vest was the glittering trace of the seal. The chakra of the seal had burned her clothes and imprinted her some inches below her neck. The fabric of the vest crackled and the burning scent of flesh lingered in the air.

Hiashi stared at her silently, obviously running pensive thoughts through his mind.

Finally, he spoke.

In a venom-filled voice with a tense edge of sadness, Hiashi spat out, "You have directly disobeyed my orders, Hinata. You were supposed to lead the future of us all. You were the one expected to continue the head of the Hyuga Clan. And yet…?"

He continued on, ignoring the tears welling in Hinata's eyes.

"Otousan…please—"

"Pity. And I thought you were smarter then that. Pity…pity that you showed some weak emotion for Hanabi. Love? Caring? Foolishness, all of it. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should be thankful that now, I am choosing Hanabi instead. You have disgraced us all. By recklessly throwing yourself in front of her. Go to your room, Hinata. No!—it's better for you to leave this clan for awhile. Until you strengthen yourself, I wish to never see you again."

Hanabi gasped. _Father said—father said that…I am to lead, but—Hinata-san! She saved me—she saved me although we've never spoken to each other, we've never trained, laughed, had fun together. Why?_

Regret ran through her mind, of all the sacrifices Hinata made for Hanabi, of all the times they had to get to know each other, but didn't.

_-_

_-_

_-_

_Why, Hinata?_

Waking from her thoughts, Hanabi cried out.

"Otousan, with all respect, I wish to demand as this clan's leader that Hinata-san stays. Hinata-san could be a valuable asset to the clan and still could be leader, even if she is sealed! She could—"

"BE SILENT, CHILD!" Hiashi roared, sweeping up from the tatami mat he was so calmly sitting on before.

"I am the Hyuga head right now, not you Hanabi. Hinata leaves. You stay. Put that one thought in your head and let it stay there. I will say no more of this." He turned to Hinata.

"And you, girl, will leave this house. I will not have you here."

As he swept to the rice-paper door and placed his hand on the wood, Hinata spoke up. The tears were still fresh in her eyes but her voice stayed strong and calm, without a single trace of her childhood mumble or stutter.

"Otousan, I will do as you command. But any harm—and hand laid on Hanabi-san and I will truly leave. And I will show _all of Konoha, _how disgusting a respected man like you can be."

Hiashi slowly turned around to face her. Looking directly into her eyes without any trace of regret, he silently pulled his fingers into the cursed jinjutsu position and said the words.

-

Hinata was brought to her knees in a fresh wave of pain. It seemed as if thousands of knives were bearing down on her. She curled up into a ball on the floor as the green symbol shone fresh from the inside of her vest.

But she wouldn't,_ would not_, scream. Hinata would not let them have that much from her, at least.

Hanabi, screwed her eyes shut, hot tears streaming down her face. Something inside her was begging her to run away, away from the horror, away from the clan. But something else told her to do what was right: protect her sister.

Hanabi leapt in front of her father and pushed him, making him crash down into the rice-paper doors he was standing in front of.

Outraged, he hurriedly stood up again. His gaze vacillated from his daughters, one who balled her fists, glaring at him while breathing heavily, and the other who lay almost as still as dead on the floor. Panic rose within him as he gazed at his unconscious daughter: _Did I go to far? _

_-_

_-_

_-_

Unknown to the Hyuga Clan, the forehead was the only 50 chance safe place to put the caged seal upon. But near the heart-area, it was a fatal 10 of surviving a jinjutsu punishment. Of course, no one tried putting it above the heart before.

When activated on the head, the curse bears down on the head and the systems running within, creating a considerable amount of pain.

When activated on the heart, the pain the curse brings shatters the arteries and capillaries and muscle protecting the fragile heart. Then, the natural body system emails the mind that it's in pain. Though the mind and body fight to resist the jinjutsu, this only flames it's wrath, spreading the pain around the WHOLE body. And then it's 90 the victim's dead, and the 10 of survival.

However, know one knew this. They just thought it would have the same effect as wherever else it's normally placed.

Right now, Hinata, lying unconscious on the floor, was having in inner fight for her own life.

_To be continued…_

Boy do I love cliffhangers. I'm sorry, I couldn't find any way to finish it well. I kind of had to make the aftereffect of the jinjutsu up so it could make sense. Will Hinata die? I'm still sorta figuring that out. ( )


	4. Seal of Broken Hopes

To the readers: I apologize for the misspelling of "Hyuuga." It was Kagura615 who kindly pointed out to me the emphasis on the "uu." Thank you so much!

4. Seal of Inner Strength

Neji and the other men who had escorted Hanabi to the office left shortly after, probably to go do more training. Neji was far across the compound and in the courtyard practicing his jyuuken.

The young prodigy was in a state of indifference with a side tint of annoyance. Under his furiously swinging of palms at the fake-chakra points on his shadow clone were his thoughts. (A/N: I don't really know if this could happen, but in this story, Neji can create shadow clones that would fight him until all their fake chakra points shut down. Hehe, it's chakra manipulation)

_Seriously, even though Hanabi could be a self-centered child sometimes, she didn't deserve to be sealed. Neither did I as a child, but that's that. No turning back. But Hanabi being sealed…that could change everything. She'd have to live in humility, kissing the dust and seeing the way we Lower Brancher's do. _

For some reason, his thoughts turned to the look on her face when she saw him in the dungeons. She had gasped…why? Was he that unexpected to see, or was she just enraged that a Lower Brancher had grabbed her wrist so roughly?

Soon Neji's concentration and underlaid grim thoughts were shattered by screams….from the direction of the office he was at merely five minutes ago. In panic, he dismissed his clones and ran off across the courtyard and down the halls. Activating his Byakugan, Neji scanned the compound grounds.

No enemy shinobi, no raiding thieves hoping for Hyuuga gold, just people doing their business as a family member. Some, like him, were already running to the office….the office! Neji sharply turned his head and glared into the direction. All there was within was his uncle and cousin—and Hinata-sama? Lying on the floor, to be exact. And not moving.

Neji cursed and sprinted to the office as his unactivated eyes met with the horrid sight from close up. Apparently, the screams were emitted by two household women who saw Hinata unconscious on the floor, some blood already pooling from her mouth. The women were already gathered at her side, touching her forehead and checking her pulse.

Hanabi was breathing heavily and staring at the body of Hinata. She was most likely in shock from seeing all that blood. Her hitai-ate lay on the ground, her pale forehead unmarked. Then he glanced down at Hinata and her slightly glowing jounin vest, slowly realizing what had happened.

Neji's eyes widened in shock. Hinata had got in front of Hanabi and got sealed instead? Angrily, he searched for the perpetrator.

He saw his uncle, Hiashi-sama leaning against his wall, groaning something to himself. Over the panicked shrieks, Neji couldn't hear, but he didn't care.

Already, more members arrived. Most gathered their frantic wits about themselves and finally departed to Konoha's Headquarters for Medic-Nins. Soon, a medic-nin accompanied by her assistants arrived. (Haruno Sakura, some other ninja that was in their academy, Neji remembered.) Neji was faintly surprised that she had improved in her skill so much.

Sakura gently lifted Hinata up onto a stretcher and ran through a few examinations. She then announced that it was too dangerous to move her patient's body to a different location. Soon, a light bed was carried into the room so the medic could work on her there.

After a whole hour of worriedly waiting outside the room, Sakura came out to tell all the Hyuuga Clan members her report. She cleared her throat nervously and said, "I'm sorry to tell you there is no change in Hinata-san's condition. She seems to be…in a catatonic state. Meaning she's in a coma. After a few chakra runs through her system, I found that strangely, her mind is completely shut down. The muscle around her heart is severely torn, and much of her blood erupted through her mouth from some kind of shock done to her body. Can anyone please explain to me what had happened, and any details that might give me a clue of how to bring her back to consciousness. I won't guarantee you it would bring her back completely, but I could try."

Everyone drew in a breath. Of course, everyone silently knew what happened. There was no need, every Hyuuga member had grown up as a child and strictly told of what happened to those under jinjutsu punishment. What else created high blood fever, knocked out systems, and torn arteries? The punishment was not very known to Konoha public, and those who did spoke discreetly of it, fearing Hiashi's anger and a clan against them. As far as anyone else knew, the Caged Bird seal was just a tattoo for Lower members, so Sakura wouldn't have known.

Finally, Hiashi spoke up, struggling at first and then pulling himself together. "What I say, must be kept confidential, Sakura-san. I have used an ability to seal Lower Branched-members. With this seal, I could physically and mentally hurt them if they needed to be punished. Hanabi was to be sealed, but Hinata leapt in front suddenly. The mark is above her heart area. I do not know if this has affected anything in the normal procedure punishment."

Inwardly, Sakura winced in disgust. How could this man even_ think_ of imprisoning his own _family? _But she remained cool in her outer façade, and replied, "Thank you Hiashi-sama. Now please tell me this: is there any way to reverse the effects or seal? Removing the seal could most likely take away any pain she might be in right now and help me heal her."

Hiashi drew his face up with a strange, unidentifiable emotion on his face. Then he sighed deeply and looked away.

"No, no…the scrolls containing that information have been burned a long time ago."

Inside, Sakura was feeling great rage and hate. But underneath, she felt sort of sorry for him. What a long day this would be: what you hoped to be a short feeling of unease of sealing your own daughter, then that over, then you _other _daughter sealed, and now resulting in a coma because of your stupidity. And a literally broken heart, _and _a low amount of blood, _and _a whole body of systems not running. Great.

Sakura sighed and sadly whispered, "I'll do what I can."

When the medic-nin once again entered Hinata's room, Hiashi turned to the family and muttered what he could: "I'm sorry."

The head was stunned when his admission was replied with cold glares and heavy sighs. No one answered aloud, but their emotion was clear: disgust. He never had known how precious and kind Hinata was to the family, unlike he and his other daughter. Unlike them, Hinata treated everyone with kindness. Hiashi silently turned and stomped away, annoyed, angry, and burdened with sadness and guilt.

Hanabi? She remained outside the room, waiting, praying. Remorsefully, she chanted inside of herself. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!, _until the words blended into a sobbing thought. _All my fault. I should've sense Hinata-nee-san's_ (_that sounded strange on Hanabi's tongue for she always had referred to Hinata as "Hinata-san") presence, and gotten sealed instead, It's all MY FAULT!!! AND NOW SHE'S NEAR DEAD AND IT'S MY FAULT!!!_

Neji was beside her, sitting on his ground with his head in his arms. He knew he would probably be considered weak for even caring. But there was this strange need to be beside Hinata and her inwardly wailing sister. Neji wished for something to say, but nothing that didn't sound awkward and half-hearted came to his mind.

Sakura again came outside two hours later. She looked worn and weary, but she strongly called for everyone's attention.

When the whole family gathered around her, Sakura hesitatingly said the few words that tore everyone's hopes up.

-

"Hinata's heart's stopped beating."

-

-

-

Hinata was in her own world.

It was a small room.

She was curled up in a shadowed corner.

Someone was shouting…at her? She didn't know.

She didn't care.

"Strengthen yourself! Why are you so useless? Why? Hanabi is five years younger and yet she's stronger then you, Why…"Annoyed, Hinata turned around, not listening. _Tired…so tired. And cold. Everyone hates me. No one loves me the way I love them. _

She walked into a dark hallway.

Suddenly she was in the Chuunin Testing Hall.

Naruto was there!

Hinata smiled hopefully and sat down next to him.

During a test, she told him she would let him copy her paper.

He didn't.

Was she that unreliable?

The Naruto beside her faded into dust.

Hinata spat in anger and turned away.

Another dark hall.

She was in the Chuunin Fighting Exam room.

The fight with Neji was easily recalled.

Suddenly, the pain of being hit in the heart was too easy to recall.

Hinata gasped heavily and grabbed her chest.

_It hurts…too much._

She screamed and ran away.

Another dark hall.

Scenes of screaming, crying people, and a younger Hinata training until she was bleeding flitted by.

Finally, a shard of crystal realization dropped onto her.

A figure of herself in a jounin vest. All grown up. Powerful. Strong.

She had slaved for her clan, worked hard to prove herself. She made herself worthy of her Otousan. Reliable, smart, up to par with Neji. But no one cared. Sure, a pat on the back, a "congratulations, you're a jounin now!" That was it. And no one still loved her back. And Hanabi.

_My sister…_

Hanabi always avoided Hinata. Why?

Hinata felt bitter as she sardonically whispered to herself, _Because I'm still weak. I'm contagious maybe? Or maybe she just hates me…like the others. _

And the final realization:

_Otousan tried to kill me._

Hinata wanted to die.

_To be continued…_

Hi everyone!!! Sorry, if I made Neji seem unreal. Well, Naruto helped change his view tons, so he's a lot more caring. If Hinata seems to mean in the last bits, it's because sometimes, no matter how kind and great you could be, people can break, and she does. Notice everyone in the early books/episodes, no one really acknowledged her? Well, she hurts under that, and she realizes that in hear. Some of you are telling me that Hanabi's the main character, right? She is, but she comes in later. D


	5. Seal of Awakening

Argh!!! Must put in disclaimer, silly me. Sorry everyone! And thanks, once again, to Kagura-chan for explaining it to me. :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its storyline, or characters. However, this fanfiction is based on Naruto, and is my creation. Yay.**

Well, that's over with.

5. Seal of Awakening

Hiashi, Hanabi, and Neji stared at Sakura, frozen with shock.

"No…" Hanabi whispered softly. "She's not dead. Hinata-nee-san's too strong for that. You're lying! She's okay, she's alright, she's waiting in the room alive and well….right? It's all a joke, Sakura-san, right!?"

Sakura turned her head away.

Before they could stop her, Hiashi and Neji watched Hanabi angrily stamp forward and grab the medic's shoulders. Hanabi roughly turned her around to face her eye to eye. "Answer me!" she screamed at Sakura.

The medic stared unhappily into the other's beautiful lavender eyes. "I'm so sorry Hanabi-san, but she's gone."

Finally, Hiashi found the voice to speak. "My daughter—is there nothing you can do for her?"

The words Sakura said next sounded uncertain as if she was questioning herself whether if what she was going to say was good to tell them or not.

"There is a way….but seeing as her heart is already torn enough, it's a great risk. I could try—but it has never been done before. In fact, it was I who made that theory only a month ago, but never tried it. I'm still applying for a license for its approval as an official medical jutsu—I could be endangering Hinata-san! It's my first time you see…"

"Just tell us….please Sakura-san, anything will help. We could try." Neji spoke urgently, a hint of pleading desperation in his voice.

"All right. My theory was to chakra-shock the body into working order again, as long as the body hasn't started decomposing. You see, it's the opposite of Byakugan. In the style of jyuuken, you pump negative chakra into the enemy's vital points so they just shut down, right? Well, my method is to reverse the process of decomposing by using a concentrated mass of chakra to inflate instead of deflate the body and its' components. By doing that, the chakra jolts, as if electrocuting, the heart and mind into working order. However, it could not work, seeing how damaged Hinata-san's heart is."

Hiashi sighed and put his hand to his face.

"Try it, Sakura-san. Do everything you can. If you can do this, I'll be in debt for the rest of my life. Just please….save my daughter."

It was surprising, seeing how upright and proud the head of the Hyuuga Clan was, that he begged to a girl three times his age younger.

Sakura nodded seriously and told the clan that she would try.

-

-

"_Remember Sakura, a body: animal, human, or halfling, will decompose after four minutes. The cells and components dissolve inside out and the tissue breaks down. Blood, plasma, and water separate and distill with no beating heart to pump it. Bones break down and the brain muscle liquefies. Remember this lesson of death. Remember it, and following the rules of decomposition and revitalization, you may one day find a justu to save lives. You, Sakura, can save a life one day with your own healing hands. As long as the body isn't dead for four minutes, and the blood and body is intact, you can bring people back from the dead." _Oh yes, Sakura remembered Tsunade-sensei's early medical lessons well. She did indeed create a jutsu to revive people, but if it worked, was yet to see.

-

-

The medic stood over Hinata's deathly cold body. In one minute, it would start decomposing. Sakura had to act fast, or this girl would truly be dead forever. She took a deep breath, and took her surgeon's scalpel. Sakura gently placed the knife right above Hinata's heart and below the green symbol of the Caged Bird. Slowly, she pushed in the knife and made a 1.5 inch and 3 inch long incision, careful not to damage the broken heart. The procedure must be done quickly, or the theory would go to failure because of the lack of blood. Oh, this operation was risky. The patient was dead, and only one way to save her. That one way could fail in seventy-six different ways. Lack of blood was only one of them.

When the incision was made, Sakura hurriedly pushed her gloved fingers in, wincing slightly. No matter how many times muscle and bone were touched, a medic would never get used to the chilly experience. She focused flowing sapphire chakra to her fingertips. First, she had to heal the arteries and shattered muscle around the heart. Within thirty seconds, the heart was as good as new. To make it start beating, however, was a different matter.

Sakura hurriedly pulled her hand out of the incision, and sealed the wound, leaving only a faint horizontal scar across the heart. An ugly scar was worth saving a life. So far, so good. But the hardest part was to come.

The scalpel was placed away and Hinata had to be strapped down tightly. This wasn't going to be an easy maneuver. With one hand, Sakura held down Hinata's stomach. She put the other above the heart and above the new scar she just made. The medic closed her eyes and concentrated, tapping into the well of azure chakra deep inside of her core. Intent on the task, she summon chakra to her palms and gently pushed the shimmering stream into the patient's body.

After five minutes of this energy-draining, Sakura suddenly found the body underneath her becoming warm. The chakra was taking effect. Suddenly, the body convulsed horribly. That's why it had to be strapped down. It was to be expected: chakra pumping was like electrocuting one's body. Sakura nodded grimly; body warmth and sudden movement inside were the first signs of life.

Thankfully, after another ten minutes, Hinata's heart started beating and her breath came slowly, but at least she was living.

Sakura exhaled strongly and wiped away her sweat. Her theory had worked, she saved one of her fellow jounin friend's life, and now she had proof to bring for the jutsu's approval as official. All in twenty minutes work.

After checking that the patient was alright and breathing well, Sakura stepped outside to congratulate the family: their precious family member was alive again.

-

-

-

In her own world, Hinata lay.

Wondering of her existence.

_Why do I even try to live?_

_I should've killed myself the day Otousan gave me to Kurenai-sensei. _

_It was signing my abandon-warrant. _

_It's as if from that day on, I was forgotten from the family. _

_Otousan and Neji both tried to kill me at least once, and my own sister shuns me as if I've got a disease. _

Hinata wept softly while sitting in a swirling dark miasma. Little did she know that her body in the real world was awakening bit by bit.

While roughly wiping away the unwanted substance tearing out of her eyes, she looked down and realizing that the lower half of her body was quite transparent.

_I'm going back…_she thought dully.

_I don't want to the world._

_I wish they would just leave me ALONE!_

_-_

_-_

_-_

Sakura was worried. Hinata's body was perfectly fine now and in stable condition. It was as if the jinjutsu punishment was never cast upon her. But that wasn't the case: her mind just wouldn't wake up from the coma.

The family members outside weren't sleeping, but they weren't doing anything either. Most of them were leaning against the wall and staring at the ceiling and others were tightly closing their eyes and seemed to be chanting something under their breaths. So Sakura prepared a special herbal tea for them all that would let them relax and fall asleep easily. The family was very grateful after receiving the news, but the coma was still there. They accepted the tea, and soon, they all drifted into a deep, refreshing sleep.

The quite-cheerful medic smiled gently at the sleeping family. Everything was fine now: all she had to do was break Hinata's coma. During her twenty minute lunch break, Sakura dismissed her assistants (who barely did anything, lazy they are) and wrapped a few blankets around the sleeping members. The medic stepped outside into the sunny Konoha-ish day and strode to the Medical Database in Tsunade-sensei's headquarters.

The library was dimly lit and swollen with ceiling-to-floor metal shelves on all kinds of medical jutsus and illnesses. Sakura spotted the section "comatose; catatonia" and casually pulled out a book. She quickly flipped through the pages, looking for a mention of jinjutsu-caused comas. The information was never found, but something caught Sakura's eye:

"Comatose: A sleeping dose of death. A coma has different levels of intensity: vegetative state, catatonia state…"

Sakura knew that much of comas, for part of her medical training with Tsunade-sensei consisted of that topic, she skipped ahead.

"Contradicting many popular opinions, people in comas do not just lie and stay still. In fact, they move, talk, and act as they do in normal life, except they're unconsciousness. Why this is, nobody knows. Most medic-nins believe this is because of their habitual doings in daily life affect the way they act when they're sleeping…"

At this, Sakura paused and gasped. Being a close friend of Hinata's, Sakura knew that the most likely feeling she would be having was sorrow. The medic knew well that anyone whose father made an attempt on their life would obviously be feeling very depressed, so…

The medic dropped the book carelessly and sprinted out of the library and back to the Hyuuga Clan Compound. _No way! Even unconscious, Hinata-san wouldn't do that!!! _Sakura hurriedly opened the doors with the spare key given to her in case Hinata had a sudden case of heart failure again. Quickly, she slammed the door shut and began sprinting down the halls, past the still sleeping family, and into the room where she operated on Hinata. Hinata wasn't there.

-

-

-

Neji and Hanabi awakened with a stir, confused. They heard a loud pair of footsteps hurrying passed them. "What's wrong?" Hanabi mumbled after rubbing her eyes. She quickly shook Neji's shoulder and they both saw a flash of pink hair swishing around the corner. "Sakura?" questioned Neji as the two stood up. The cousins jogged after Sakura, wondering what was wrong. They saw her standing and staring into the operation room.

Panicking, the medic met their lavender eyes and cried out urgently, "Please! Hinata…somehow she got loose. She's still in her coma, she subconscious—she's going to kill herself! Help me find her!"

Neji's brow creased in frustration. "What?!"

Hanabi echoed his one-word question.

"Oh—there's no time to explain, just please help me find her!"

The male of the three nodded and activated his Byakugan, scanning the massive house, greeted with a shocking sight: Hinata just exited the house and was now walking to the back courtyard. She slowly sat down by the pond. Neji saw her summoning coils of chakra to her fingers. As if in slow motion, her hand slowly reached to her chest. Strangely, her face was blank and emotionless. It looked as if she didn't care anymore.

Neji quickly shook himself away from the sight and gasped out, "She's in the back courtyard, about to use her jyuuken to shut down her own heart!"

-

-

-

By the time Sakura left the room, Hinata was half into reality. Actually, it was more like she was sub-conscious, as if she was in a sleep-walking dream where everything was blurred and distorted. But that didn't matter to Hinata at all: she just wanted to kill herself. At first, it was very hard to walk and there was a dull pain in her heart. However, after five minutes or so, she managed to stumble out of the room.

Her family was sleeping. So…they could sleep while their daughter/niece/cousin was half dead? Of course, they didn't love her. They were just here so they could laugh and be satisfied when they received the news of her death. Hinata's thoughts were grim, sardonic. She just didn't care anymore. She would fulfill they're wishes for her to be gone.

Hinata reached the kitchen. Just one more room and then she'd be out of the house.

Sakura was running back into the house.

Hinata stumbled wearily, nausea overcoming her. She stopped to rest by the wall of the courtyard entryway.

Sakura awakened Neji and Hanabi.

Hinata defeats her nausea and steps into the courtyard.

Neji sees her kneel down.

Hinata turns on her Byakugan. If she was to die, she'd do it the Hyuuga way. It was her only sad farewell and parting as a Hyuuga member. Of course, hidden inside the gesture was a cryptic message that literally said: it was because of you Hyuuga people that made me die. It's because I tried so hard to prove myself with the Byakugan and was ignored, that I will now kill myself with the Byakugan.

The sub-conscious jounin drew her violet chakra to her fingers and smiled vaguely. At last…she would be free. She pressed her negative-chakra filled palm into her heart. Pain shot into its' core and Hinata felt her own blood begin to slow down its pace. Too weak. Hinata pressed more chakra, forcing in more and more. It still wasn't enough. And finally, she readied her palm for the last blow. Just one blow and the pain would be over. She would be free of her slavery and clan bonds. Just one more…

_To be continued…_

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YET ANOTHER CLIFFY:D

See you guys next time!!!


	6. Seal of Repentance

Hello again! Sorry for the long wait, and here's your chapter.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its storyline, or characters. However, this fanfiction is based on Naruto, and is my creation. **

6. Seal of Repentance

Hanabi burst into the courtyard and seized Hinata's fingers. She swirled around her sister to face her and was met with eyes glazed with a dull sheen and with the look of far-away.

Meeting Hanabi's eyes, Hinata narrowed her own in hatred and struggled silently to get away from her grasp. Instead of releasing her, Hanabi's grip grew tighter around the kneeling girl's wrists.

The upset genin shockingly realized that Sakura was right—Hinata was trapped in another dimension in her own mind.

Fright and regret swirled in a miasma of turmoil within Hanabi with a darkening squall of anger rising underneath.

With a cool voice edged by a threatening hot blade of fury, the young genin stared intently into Hinata's empty eyes and snapped:

"**Break out of it, nee-san.** Don't even dare to **think **of killing yourself. Wake up! Look at me. **Look at me!"**

With a slight tremble, some awareness returned to Hinata's eyes. Slowly, she stopped struggling and went limp, tilting her head to look up at Hanabi.

Slightly encouraged, Hanabi continued, lowering her voice a bit.

"How **could **you, nee-san? Just because—just because Otousan's stupid little mistake—he was angry alright?! Forgive us, just get over it! You know him; Otousan's always impulsive. But does that mean we don't love you? That we hate you?—No! You break so easily! Why—why do you think that way of us? Do you—do you regret living with us?!"

A swell grew in Hanabi's throat and she broke down a bit, sobbing as she spoke. No one noticed that Sakura had slipped out of the courtyard silently, to not intrude into the sister's privacy. She calmly woke up the members of the compound, explaining the situation.

At Hanabi's crying, Hinata gradually slid back into reality. Wordlessly, she started crying too.

"Sorry—I'm so sorry imouto-chan. I admit—I never thought of how everyone would feel. I felt so upset, so angry at everyone." Her voice jumped on hurriedly and almost in panic.

"I wanted to be acknowledged. I wanted to be loved! In my way of thinking—I regret it now—I imagined that everyone wanted me out and away. The pain hurt so much Hanabi, I wished to die. And now…I know I am loved. Hanabi—thank you."

Neji (who was pretty much forgotten) spoke up from the corner of the slowly darkening courtyard.

"Hinata-sama, I never got to apologize for that day I attempted to kill you in the chuunin exams. And now I know that it's better to forgive and forget then to hold grudges. I'm sorry."

Hinata smiled weakly, trembling a little after so many tears. "I love you all," she whispered. "There's nothing to forgive."

Then her body crumpled to the ground.

"Hinata nee-san! **No!**"

-

-

-

The next day, Sakura came out of the room in the Hyuuga house that she had named the "medical room," exhausted.

"Hinata-san will recover," she reassured the worried family.

"However, as you all know, Hinata-san's life was not an easy one, especially with all the attacks on her heart, and her own two attempts to suicide. Lives are like clothes: they can be mended easily, but the patches are still weaker and they show. Hinata-san will survive but…her heart's been patched up to many times. She'll most likely die of natural causes in around twenty-five years, if she doesn't die a shinobi's death by then. I can grant health, but I cannot retrieve years…I'm so sorry."

Hanabi stood shock-still. Only twenty-five years left to live? Hinata was only 19. To die at an age such as around forty-four is young. The cruelty of fate was unbearable.

When the family members streamed in to comfort the frail but healthy Hinata, she smiled at them and told them, "I still don't believe how I ignored the love I am given. Thank you all…I'm blessed to have you as family."

-

-

-

A year later, although only thirteen, the prodigy now-chuunin Hyuuga Hanabi was made Clan Leader of all the Hyuugas.

However, there was a slight change in the ceremony.

_Hiashi and Hinata kneeled side by side in front of Hanabi. _

"_Are you sure you want this?"_

"_Otousan," Hanabi said with a suppressed giggle, "You asked me this a thousand times. If I were to say yes a thousand more, I know it wouldn't be enough for you. YES! Just get on with it."_

_With Hinata's survival, the former Hyuuga leader softened his ways and developed a public way of cherishing his daughters more and ruling with leniency._

_Hiashi softly smiled and pulled his hands together in the seal of the roaring dragon, then to the stalking tiger, then to the caged phoenix. He slowly drew his glowing green fingertips to the area above Hanabi's chuunin uniform, where the heart was. Then sealed it. _

_Although it was painful, Hanabi did not wince nor cry out. _

_When the sealing was over with, Hinata reached over and pulled Hanabi into a hug. _

_After Hanabi's sealing, the rest of the family were next. Each and every one of them was sealed. _

Not any of the family members complained of being sealed, not even the more prouder Upper Branchers. In fact, they all enjoyed being equal. They exercised the view points of each others, sometimes switching roles in the daily lives, but never using the jinjutsu punishments. Later, the seals to activate the pain were even forgotten. In the future, every Hyuuga was to sealed as a reminiscence of what had happened long ago. But that is later, and although the clan was happy for that moment, trouble was still yet to come.

_To be continued…_

I'm so sorry if the chapter wasn't tragic/dramatic/urgh whatever you expected. :(

It took a really long time doing this because I had no idea how to portray this correctly. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you!!! (Pst…what's the "trouble to come?" Dun dun dun! I won't tell till the next chapter:P


	7. Seal of Endings

A kind reviewer (anonymous) e-mailed me and pointed out a mistake in the ages in chapter one. I accidentally had put Hinata as 19 instead of 17. A year later, when Hanabi is made clan leader, she is 13 and Hinata is 18.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its storyline, or characters. However, this fanfiction is based on Naruto, and is my creation.**

7. Seal of Endings

The same year the 13-year old chuunin Hanabi was endorses to Hyuuga Head, Hiashi died, and Hinata followed a month afterwards.

Two things happened:

1. The Sound Village attacked Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke and Oromchimaru at it's lead.

2. Large amounts of family members in Konoha from every clan were drafted into service in battle; Hiashi, Hinata, and Neji among them.

At first, Hanabi tried her very best to convince Hinata to stay home and let herself take the place in battle, since Hinata, although a year had passed, was still yet to recover.

However, Hinata stood adamantly and vowed to take part in defending Konoha.

_War is a terrible thing, Hanabi imouto-chan. But I must defend Konoha because this is where my soul lies. It's a duty I must do, not tied to obligations, but to my own decision. Please…don't try to stop me. I **will **fight. It's my ninja way._

_-_

_Besides, you've got a whole clan to protect and lead, Hanabi imouto-chan! It's a big job. Stay home, head the clan well…make me proud. _

_-_

Hanabi remembered the way Hiashi and Neji had smiled at her, the sisterly way Hinata tousled her hair before leaving through the doorway for the battlefield miles away. It would be the last time she would see them…not dying before her very eyes.

_-_

_Two months later:_

The Head of the Hyuuga Clan paced nervously around her slowly darkening room. It had been a long and stressful two months without seeing a hair of her father, cousin, and sister. A terrible ache wrenched in Hanabi's heart.

She had nightmares: Hiashi lying dead, his flowing long hair stained with blood. Neji lying in a forest forgotten and utterly unrecognizable, Hinata, her eyes glazed over as if she was in that coma all over again, her body broken in different places.

But this night was especially dreadful. Hanabi received news that the three of her kin had disappeared from the battlefield altogether.

So there Hanabi was, pacing around her new office and biting her nails, a new habit she developed after being confronted with the loss of her most precious kin to the war.

She was still awaiting news of their finding…or their deaths.

Suddenly, a crash echoed through the hallways. Hanabi anxiously jumped up and sprinted through the hallways to the sound of its origin. The sight that met her shocked her thoroughly; her father was kneeling on the floor with shattered glass shards of the window he broke to get in, scattered around him.

There was a grievous wound still fresh from the battle crossing from Hiashi's precious right Byakugan eye. Another slashed across his shoulders, and one down his back. He was breath was heavy and threateningly slower and softer.

Hanabi rushed forward and kneeled down, propping up her arms to support her father.

"Otousan! What happened—no—don't talk actually—I'll get the medic-nins!"

"**No! … **no…It's too late for me now my daughter. I am dying. Let me die a shinobi's death. Hinata…Neji…." He breathed heavily between the gaps of his sentences, wearing himself out bit by bit.

"Hinata and Neji…they…were found in the forest…wounded….but they're in Konoha…they will…be fine. I came here knowing that I wouldn't make it anyways…I just wanted to say…good bye…to the family…one last time."

As if on cue, Hanabi heard many heavy footsteps coming their way.

"No, Otousan! You'll make it. Just let the family give you some basic treatment, then the hospital can fix up the rest. You'll be okay! Otousan, please—"

She reached out to take his shoulder and help him stand up, but he swatted her hand away.

"You don't…understand…I shall die an honorable…death…and…Hanabi…please tell…Neji and Hinata…that I love them…I always have. And you…you all have made me proud."

Hanabi felt anger and twisting grief wrench her heart. "Don't speak like that! Tell them that yourself when you're better!!!"

_Hurry! Please hurry…_Hanabi desperately thought, thinking of the always-late clan members.

Then she felt her father suddenly go still.

"Otousan…otousan?"

He didn't respond.

Slowly, she reached out and gently touched his pulse. No heartbeat.

Hanabi sighed deeply and hugged her father, ignoring the crimson, coppery-scented blood streaming onto her clothes.

But she didn't cry. Hyuuga women didn't have the right to.

She had to be strong.

-

A week later, the Hyuuga Clan attended a private and small funeral. It was very expensive, since the war was still going on and all funds were devoted mostly to the costs and losses.

After the funeral, Hanabi, Hinata, and Neji returned to the compound, feeling hollow inside and torn. They said nothing to each other. No happy "I'm glad you're back, safe and sound!" or "Otousan's dead…but we still have each other." No words could fix what they were feeling.

They did not know that three weeks later, Hinata would share the same fate, the incident repeatedly tearing their bleeding hearts raw.

Hinata returned to the war the day after the funeral, but Neji stayed at Konoha's hospital for further treatment.

In the three weeks following, no word of progress reached the Hyuuga household.

Finally, deep into the night, urgent knocking pounded on their doorways.

Hanabi tiredly swung out of her bed and quickly threw on a light yukata. She answered the door and was surprised at seeing a bleeding jounin Tenten, with Hinata draped over her shoulders.

"It's your sister, Hanabi-san. She's severely wounded and I couldn't reach the hospital—she'd die by then!"

Hanabi gasped and pulled Hinata off Tenten's shoulder, then brought her to a couch in the living room.

A slash was extending from her neck to her stomach, threateningly near her heart.

"Hanabi imouto-chan," Hinata whispered weakly. "I'm fine. It's alright now."

From the back of the room, Tenten pulled out a flare and said fretfully, "The flare (!) will attract any medic-nin nearby. They'll come quickly!"

Hinata answered in the same whisper, "They won't reach me. I know it. Let me…let me go to Otousan. I want to see him…"

Hanabi held Hinata's hand tightly.

"Stay with the living Hinata nee-san! We can go to Otousan together later on. Just please—stay with us!"

Hinata grimaced and answered with a reply so concealed, that Hanabi almost the drop of bitterness underneath.

"It's just as well. I only have about twenty years left to live."

In the distance, they heard Tenten's flare scream into the sky.

Hanabi pushed away the welling tears. Deep inside, she knew the medic-nins wouldn't make it.

Suddenly, Hinata grabbed Hanabi's other hand. A glimmer of life shone in her eyes and for a moment, she looked well and alive.

"Cry. You have the right to, Hanabi. Everyone does. It's not the ninja way to conceal emotions and tears and "act strong." It's to live and act alive. _Be _alive. No one can tell you what to do, or what your fate is. Live every day to the fullest. I've seen war. It takes away many lives and many families apart. I've seen people who died without ever telling their loved ones that they loved them. I've seen those who believed in only Hell. Those people…they didn't have love, trust, hope…all those cherishing emotions because they destroyed them. They only contained hate, jealousy, and the instinct of revenge. Cry. Because you're able to. You have eyes, don't you? Use them. See with them. Make everything in life precious. Especially your eyes and mine. And…" at this, a smile quirked at the corners of your lips.

"And tell Neji that you love him."

Even at this terrible moment, with Hinata laying near death, Hanabi could not help but blush.

"How did—"

"Hush, Hanabi imouto-chan. I have my…mysterious ways—_had." _Hinata quickly corrected herself.

"The way you look at him…Well, that's not the point. What I mean is; use your life well. Express your emotions and live for everyday. Don't bottle yourself up, like I did so long ago. I…I wasted my life. I never told Naruto I loved him, did I? I never gave Kiba a new puppy, or helped Shino with his anti-pesticide plans. I only did honorable things at the very last. I never spent quality bonding time with any of you. Don't make the mistakes I did, Hanabi imouto-chan. Listen to me…don't be like me. And the war...fight it. Fight the war and everything it tears away. Do everything you can to stop the killing. Make it end...for me."

Hinata struggled up from the couch, the tear across her body bleeding profusely. She leaned over and hugged Hanabi.

She never saw the tears her little sister was crying.

The tears she was crying, because then and on, she had the right to.

Hanabi kept hugging Hinata, even after the soulless body grew cold.

And the medics and Sakura _did _arrive…four minutes too late.

_To be continued…_

Yes, I am very mean. D:

But the story continues!!!

(!) In the samurai/ninja eras, they had a coded way of contacting eachother in times of trouble. The color of the flares they used would be a panic-call for a specific type of person, in this case, a doctor. (medic-nin)


	8. Seal of Beginnings

Yes…this is the final chapter! The BIG one. :D

If you guys are wondering why I started out with such a small character, is that I love side characters. I hug them silly, redress them, and then put them in the middle of the room so everyone can go "ooh and ahh" and see them in a different way. In my next stories, I will be using much side unnoticed characters. Hope you all stay and read my next stories! Very few will feature main characters. Much love to you all!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its storyline, or characters. However, this fanfiction is based on Naruto, and is my creation.**

Hikaru no Hanabi

8. Seal of Beginnings

Hanabi angrily slashed at the Sound Ninja with her palm, her eyes pulsing with fury-filled chakra. _Revenge _was all she had in mind. These Sound nins…they took away her Otousan and Hanabi nee-chan. Even three months after their deaths, the war between Konohagakure and Otogakure was still progressing to a final clash.

The countryside was ragged with the obvious marks of battle; upturned trees were scattered among the fields riddled with patches of saturated or burnt grass and pits.

Neji was still in the hospital recovering his injuries while Hanabi pleaded with the Godaime to allow her to take the place of her fallen kin.

But…after her first kill, strangely, Hanabi didn't feel satisfied. Revenge was not sweet at all! Instead, she felt bitter and awkwardly hollow. Nothing had changed. Otousan nor Hinata were back, nor would they ever be.

After seeing the deaths of her comrades and enemies surround her, Hanabi felt flooded with grief. She cried for every death, of her making or not. Every face took on the face of her father or sister, making her hesitant in killing. She wanted no more war. It was so…_painful _to kill. To take away lives.

After weeks of fighting more than her part required, Tsunade made Hanabi take a break and return to Konoha for a rest. But every time Hanabi wandered the halls of her seemingly empty and larger-than-ever compound, she was agonizingly reminded of the absence of all who died.

Hanabi miserably sat in the courtyards, often crying.

Memories of Hinata's funeral were too easily recalled. As Head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hanabi had to control the arrangements. A burial was too sad, and the ceremony had to be meaningful and reminiscent of Hinata. So instead, Hanabi chose to honor her sister and unite her with the elements.

At the private ceremony especially for ninjas who served in battle, the body was dressed in an Uchikake, a very formal ceremonial kimono. In this case, Hanabi chose a royal purple and lilac pattern for Hinata, since it was her sister's favorite color. The body was then set on a rectangular slab of crystallized ice.

The family of the parted would then stand in a circle around the ice-pyre, and at the same count, would alight it with a fire jutsu. After a few minutes of watching the glimmering fire melt down the ice and consume the body, they would extinguish the fire and rouse from the ashes an enormous tree with another jutsu. In that way, the body would be officially bonded with the elements and then would nourish the earth with its minerals.

Even after everyone had left the tree at midnight, Hanabi stayed behind. She sat at the base of the towering tree and leaned her ear against the tree, as if to hear Hinata's parting words from another, better place. Thoughts of Hinata quickly arose and flitted through Hanabi's mind.

Hanabi gradually slipped back into the reality of the courtyard.

Suddenly, the dawning realization of Hinata's true meaning snapped into place like a missing piece into a puzzle.

_Don't make the mistakes I did, Hanabi imouto-chan. Listen to me…don't be like me. And the war...fight it. Fight the war and everything it tears away._

Fight the fighting. Stop the fighting. Don't kill, make the killing stop.

All this time, Hanabi was fighting for what she thought was her sister's revenge.

Hinata didn't want revenge, she wanted for the killing to end.

With urgent swiftness, Hanabi leapt out onto the roof of her house and beyond onto the streets of Konoha. Quickly locating the Hokage's office, she headed leeway.

-

-

-

With Neji's support and encouragement, Hanabi managed to convince Tsunade to make the war "end" with a special plan she thought up of.

Tsunade would raise up all barriers of Konoha and withdraw the troops to fool the Sound nins into thinking that it was retreating because of major losses. Instead, the Leaf nin's _shadow clones _would be waiting behind the extra-fortified walls for a direct Sound ambush on the city. When the Sound attacked, the Leaf shadow clones would come streaming out for a diversion. Of course, it would be chakra draining and a constant supply of clones. But no one would be injured. After the clones ran out, there would always be a resort to summon monsters. Meanwhile, Hanabi, Neji, and many others would slip out of Konoha and enter the Sound Village miles away while the battle was fought. In the Sound would wait Orochimaru and Sasuke. And then…who knew? It was a risky arrangement, but it a chance of working.

-

A year later…

-

Hanabi's name was listed onto a stone memorial in the middle of Konoha.

No, it was not an enlisting of heroic death.

It was an enlisting of those who fought and successfully saved Konoha from foreign dangers.

The plan had paid off and the war ended.

The first part was easily fulfilled; the fake battle which was really a diversion.

The sent ninjas reached the Sound Village after two hours.

Naruto fought and detained Uchiha Sasuke with the help of Sakura.

Shino, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji held back the reinforcements within the battalion.

But Neji and Hanabi aimed for the real cause of gallons of spilled blood and tears.

The fight with Orochimaru was a horrifying struggle. Neji suffered gaping wounds dealt by Manda, his summons-snake. Hanabi, however, was nearly killed. Orochimaru was very quick and unpredictable. His movements were far-ranged while hers was close.

Fortunately, Hinata had taught her the Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō, or Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

At the very end, Orochimaru resorted to his deception.

He was very paralyzed from his lack of running chakra systems, so he staggered and fell. Hanabi sprinted forward to deal the final blow to his heart, when the snake master suddenly grinned and pulled himself up. He grabbed her fingers and forced them to align in the kinjutsu position. Double-edged suicide.

Hanabi gasped. Orochimaru was mad! To fight for a goal is exerting, but to go as far as to kill yourself for that goal was insane. But again, it was a trick.

Orochimaru leaned forward and quickly bit her arm, which was locked into the kinjutsu while the other was cut and bleeding profusely.

He removed his hand from the kinjutsu and with that one hand, formed into a horrifyingly familiar seal.

"How--? It can't be! That seal was forgotten years ago, when I had the whole clan sealed! You can't--!"

The snake sannin grinned maliciously.

"My Sasuke-kun's family was inter-related with the Hyuuga clan. When he came to me for power, he accidentally brought some sealed scrolls that he thought were useless…but I found one of the scrolls to contain very interesting things. Such as the Hyuuga clan secrets. After all, he, his family, and your family shared clan secrets together, as kin. And when the news reached to me that you had been sealed on the chest when endorsed clan leader…I decided to use those little secrets to learn how to use the jinjutsu."

Suddenly, Neji came hurtling from behind Orochimaru, slamming his chakra-laden palms into the snake sannin's back. The sannin staggered and fell to the ground while Hanabi dodged out of harm's way.

"You…will never harm Hanabi-sama as long as I live," Neji panted out, breathing heavily. Orochimaru's face was lined with terror, as Neji's palm flew to the sannin's chest. With a final breath, a death rattle forced it's way out. It was finally over.

-

-

-

_The present…_

"Okaa-san! What happened next? What happened next?" echoed the voices of two children. One was a solemn looking boy with shoulder-length hair, his pearly lilac eyes gazing intently at his mother. Next to him sat a cute and cuddly looking girl with a short duck-tailed hairstyle and the same beautiful eyes.

Hanabi took the girl into the crook of her arm and smiled gently.

"Your father saved my life, Ayane-chan. Then we came back to Konoha, and the man called Sasuke was put on trial. He was put on a year of probation, and then set free."

The little girl named Ayane had her brow wrinkled in confusion. "That weirdo half-uncle twice removed down to the cousin line of ours was a baddie?"

"Somewhat," Hanabi admitted. "But he's better now."

The sound of a door shutting resonated in the distance. A moment later, Neji entered the courtyard and smiled at the sight of his wife, daughter, and son sitting under a sakura tree.

"I'm never going to get the groceries ever again, _okaa-san_," Neji grumbled/teased, a small smile gracing his features. "I was the only man there, I'll have you know! And with all those crazy obaa-sans giggling at the sight of a respected ANBU leader sniffing apples to see if they're good or not, I thought I would go mad!"

Hanabi's laugh tinkled beautifully and she imagined the sight of her husband shopping for groceries.

She patted her stomach and said contentedly, "I _am _pregnant you know." Ayane and her brother Shinji leaned over and touched her stomachs, laughing happily at the thought of having a younger brother or sister.

"I went to the doctor today, Neji. He announced that it will be a girl."

Neji smiled and leaned on the sakura tree. "What are we going to name her?"

Hanabi closed her eyes for a moment, picturing her fallen sister beaming cheerfully in the heavens. She opened them again and looked at Neji, a mischievous grin placed on her lips. "What about…

"Hinata."

_-The End-_

So there's your bittersweet ending! Thanks for reading everyone!!!!! -hug-


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